Harrison Barnes

Professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors

Discussion

What's up everyone? Harrison Barnes here from the Golden State Warriors. I feel truly blessed to have a job I've worked my whole life to obtain (playing professional basketball). I've also always had a genuine interest in Tech, and I'd love to talk to you more about it. Also If I miss your question, tweet me @HBarnes so we can continue the conversation. Let's start!

Hey Harrison!
Congratulations on winning the NBA championship. I've been Phoenix Suns fan forever so naturally I'm supposed to dislike the Warriors... but you guys deserve everything you've won last year haha!
This question is intentionally vague as I'd love for you to answer based on your interpretation of the question!
If you had only one tip to share to the world on how people can achieve their goals, what is your absolute #1 tip?

@jourdanb21 believe in yourself no matter what. When you have a dream there's only one person who can achieve it - you! Make it happen with your effort, determination and focus. When you combine all of that, things will start to fall into place :)

@hbarnes HB! Been a loyal fan of the Warriors for almost a decade now, very happy to see how well my hometeam is doing. What about tech do you find yourself learning more and more about?
In terms of tech + sports, wearables are becoming more and more popular. How do you think sports as an industry will change with wearables becoming more popular?
Congrats on winning the championship and currently undefeated 11-0!

@jammyan I've been learning a lot about the markets. Spending time with VCs has let me see the other side of the tech world (previously spent a lot of time with developers). Wearables are definitely on the rise. Individually and as a team, we are always looking for new tools to give us better feedback and data.

@ems_hodge a) either the start to my freshmen year or not playing to the level I wanted to my second year in the NBA. Both of those were difficult, but at the same time I had to dedicate myself to the gym and improving to get out of those slumps. Proudest moment was standing there in Cleveland with my teammates being crowned champions! We had all worked our whole lives to achieve that and it was so surreal to finally get there. Most surprising was how loud it was at Oracle for the first playoff game my rookie year against Denver. The crowd, to this day, was one of the loudest arenas I've ever been in.

Hi @hbarnes, that's awesome you have an interest in tech. We've seen high-profile athletes such as Michael Jordan, Shaq, Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash investing in companies, but are you hearing much chatter from teammates, former teammates, coaches or others involved in the sport that may surprise us in regards to paying detailed attention to the tech startup scene or investing from an angel investment perspective? And if so, are they typically sports-related companies they look for?

@tadammartin Andre is one of the most dialed in guys I know in the tech scene. Andrew Bogut is starting to get into the scene a little bit and Jermaine O'Neal has done some investing. Most guys invest in companies that they use and love, but aren't scared to step outside the box.

Man this is awesome. I'm a huge fan. Was out at Product Hunt HQ last week and @bentossell and I got to see y'all play vs. Detroit (https://twitter.com/AndrewMEttin...).
1) What's on your phone's home screen?
2) Have any apps/products noticeably helped your basketball game?
3) Which apps/products have most made life on the road easier?
4) Favorite product discovery via Product Hunt?

@jeffumbro The biggest way I use social is to connect with people instead of trying to sell something. The relationship I've been able to build with fans has been great and I hope to continue that. Celtics play hard! They will find their stride and I wouldn't be surprised if they made the playoffs.

@hbarnes You're really connected to the Bay Area tech scene unlike a lot of professional athletes. Are you looking at possibly investing in startups in the future? -- Our boys are #1 in basketball and #12 in football. When are you back in Chapel Hill to see a game?

@hbarnes what's it like living your dream everyday? I love the game of basketball, it's amazing to see how you've progressed throughout the years. Now look at you one of the key assets of the team. Also, what type of music you like?

Hey Harrison,
I'm a lifelong NBA fan and software developer. I'd love to combine my two passions into a small business one day. Are NBA team staff, such as in analytics departments, typically in the market for better software solutions? If so, what do you think would be the best way to get started? It'd be my dream to help the Warriors gain even a minuscule advantage on the court.
Thanks a lot, good luck this season :)

@kokev every team is looking for an advantage so software solutions is probably on the list! I'm not sure what the exact steps moving forward would be, but from what I've seen from our team we give a lot of products a good look.

@hbarnes I'm a Cavs fan living in the Bay Area, and I just wanted to say I'll never forgive them for passing on you in the draft. Oh, and last summer was very painful. How much time per day do you spend, and would guess NBA players spend, on social media? Also, Twitter vs. Facebook: Which do you prefer? Keep balling out, you're one of the best fundamentally sound players to be drafted in the past 10 years. #MaxContract

@fankavedave It's all good! Fun playing them in the finals. Most guys would spend 3+ hours on social media if I had to guess. A lot of that is when guys are doing treatment, icing, or in the locker room post practice. I use both FB and twitter so much it's hard to choose one :)

@hj_gymnast_707 what we've accomplished and how much it means to the bay area. These fans come out and support hard every single night so it was special to bring a championship to the bay. It means a lot just to be a part of something big. Rare opportunity to be playing for a team like ours

@bentossell the competition. Everyone can see pro sports and see the intensity but the same intensity is there in the tech world! New companies are started daily and everyone is trying to one up someone else.